=Paper=
{{Paper
|id=Vol-1738/IWTA_2016_paper5
|storemode=property
|title=An Open Learner Model Used by Teachers to Monitor Speed Reading Learners
|pdfUrl=https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-1738/IWTA_2016_paper5.pdf
|volume=Vol-1738
|authors=Blandine Ginon,Matthew Johnson,Ali Turker,Michael Kickmeier-Rust
|dblpUrl=https://dblp.org/rec/conf/ectel/GinonJTK16a
}}
==An Open Learner Model Used by Teachers to Monitor Speed Reading Learners==
https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-1738/IWTA_2016_paper5.pdf
AN OPEN LEARNER MODEL USED BY TEACHERS
TO MONITOR SPEED READING LEARNERS
Blandine Ginon Matthew Johnson
School of Engineering, School of Engineering,
University of Birmingham, UK University of Birmingham, UK
b.ginon.1@bham.ac.uk d.johnson.1@bham.ac.uk
Ali Turker Michael Kickmeier-Rust
SEBIT Education and Information Technologies, Knowledge Technologies Institute,
Ankara, Turkey Graz University, Austria
Ali.Turker@sebit.com.tr michael.kickmeier-rust@tugraz.at
ABSTRACT 1 INTRODUCTION
The benefits of Open Learner Model for learners
have been widely demonstrated: supporting learning An Open Learner Model (OLM) is a learner model
and metacognition, facilitating self-monitoring and that is accessible to a user, in an understandable way
planning, improving self-assessment skills… In this [2]. The aims to make the model accessible to
paper, we investigate the benefits of using an OLM learners are to support learning and cognition, and to
for teachers. We present Hızlıgo, a speed reading facilitate self-monitoring and planning [4]. OLMs
application and the LEA’s Box OLM, a can also be useful as well for other stakeholders of
competency-based OLM intended for both teachers learning, like teachers and parents, in order to help
and learners. They have been linked in order build in them help learners and facilitate learners monitoring
learner models composed of 50 competencies
[8; 10]. Access the learner model can help teachers
relative to speed reading that the level is calculated
to identify learners’ strengths and difficulties and to
based on the outcomes of activities performed in
plan and adapt their teaching [11]. Thus, several
Hızlıgo. 10 teachers have been using the OLM in
order to monitor their class in the context of a 12 day OLM are intended for both teachers and learners
intensive course using the speed reading application (e.g. [12;7]), some OLMs offer different
Hizligo and involving 87 students. The OLM have visualisations for learners and teachers (e.g. [5]),
been regularly used by teachers, using different especially in the cases where the learners are
visualisations, mainly in the aim to identify the children (e.g. [6]). However, in these OLMs the
strengths and weakness of both their class and their model cannot be built from data coming from an
individual students. Teachers found the OLM easy external data source, with a competency-based
to use and to understand and helpful for their approach.
teaching. In this paper, we investigate the benefits for
teachers to use a competency-based OLM, in the
CCS Concepts context of a speed reading course. First, we
• Human-centered computing➝Human computer introduce Hızlıgo, a speed reading application and
interaction (HCI); user model, user studies the LEA’s Box OLM, a competency-based OLM
➝Visualization; Visual analytics; Visualization systems intended for both teachers and learners. Then, we
and tools • Applied Computing ➝ Education; present how the OLM have been used in the context
Interactive learning environments. of a 12 day intensive course with Hızlıgo, involving
10 teachers and 87 students.
KEYWORDS
Open learner model, learning analytics, teaching analytics.
2 HIZLIGO SPEED READING
APPLICATION
Hızlıgo (www.hizligo.com) is an online
application intended to help learners to improve their
speed reading competencies during a 12 day
intensive course. Hızlıgo provides learners with 20
types of activities (see Fig. 2), like ‘letter counting’
where the learner has to count the number of
occurrence of a character in a character cloud and
‘picture text’ where the learner has to recognise a
picture briefly shown. Several measures can be used
to calculate the scores of an activity, like the
proportion of good answers, the number of answers
and the speed to answers. Hızlıgo recommends a
sequence of activities for every day of the course, Fig. 2. Hızlıgo: statistics.
but the learners can also access the activities
independently. Using Hızlıgo, learners and teachers
can visualise statistics regarding the completion rate 3 LEA’S BOX PERSUADABLE
of the course and the activity scores (see Fig. 2), OPEN LEARNER MODEL
however, it do not provided information with a
competency-based approach. The LEA’s BOX OLM is a competency-based open
learner model that provides teachers and learners
with 12 visualisations [3], from the most simple like
skill meters (Fig. 4) to more complex
multidimensional visualisations like across time
(Fig. 5) and heatmap (Fig. 6). They can be used to
visualise different information: groups’ overall level,
students’ overall level, the level of one or several
students or groups for each competency in the
model, and the data coming from activities or
information sources.
In the simple example of Fig. 3, the teacher
monitors 4 students coming from 2 groups. In the
‘Groups/Students’ part of the interface, we notice
that the average level of group 9/A is a little stronger
than group 9/A. The empty skill meters means that
the OLM has no evidence of the level of this student,
i.e. the student has not yet performed any activities
linked to the OLM. In the ‘Competencies’ part of the
interface’, we see the average level of the students
for the competency ‘Focusing’ and its 4 sub-
competencies. In the ‘activities’ part of the interface,
we notice that in average, the students had better
scores from the activity ‘Letter counting’ than from
‘Picture Text’ and ‘Word hunt’. Using the filters
(see left part of Fig. 3), it is possible to visualise a
sub-set of the information available in the OLM. For
instance, the teacher can use the filters to see only
the information relative to one student in order to
identify his/her weakest and strongest competencies
[4].
Fig. 1. Hızlıgo: letter counting and picture text activities.
Fig. 3. LEA’s Box OLM: teacher interface
Fig. 4. Visualisation of the competencies using Table.
Fig. 5. Visualisation of the evolution of the students’ models across time.
Fig. 6. LEA’s Box OLM heatmap visualisation: link between activities (horizontally) and competencies (vertical). The
darker is a case, the stronger are the evidence coming from the corresponding activity for the corresponding competency.
4 EVALUATION the course, a questionnaire has been send to teachers
about the OLM.
In the context of a 12 day intensive speed reading
course in Turkey, 87 secondary-school students from 4.2 Results
grade 7 to 11 have been using Hızlıgo. They have
been encouraged to use Hızlıgo daily, on the base of The 87 students have performed an average of
61,76 activities in Hızlıgo (median=33, minimum=1,
30 minutes per day.
maximum=275). The usages of the OLM by the
Teachers have defined in the LEA’s Box OLM
teachers are presented in Table 1.The 10 teachers
50 competencies and sub-competencies related to have been using the OLM in an average 7,9 times
the speed reading and divided into 5 area (improving
during the course; a session of use of the OLM
eye muscles, seeing rapidly, focusing, reading and
lasted in average 17 minutes. All teachers have been
reading and understanding), that have then been using several visualisations, 3 in average, but only
linked to the activities provided by Hızlıgo. Every
two visualisations have been very regularly used: the
time a learner performs an activity in Hızlıgo, the
across time (used in 86% of the OLM sessions) and
outcome, using several measures, is sent to the OLM skill meters visualisations (used in 56% of the OLM
as a piece of evidence for each competencies linked
sessions). Teachers frequently used the filters,
to this activity.
mainly to monitor a given students, in 33% of the
In order to monitor their students’ engagement in OLM sessions.
the course and the evolution of their competencies,
their 10 teachers had the possibility to use the LEA’s
Box OLM. Students also had the possibility to use Table 1. Use of the OLM by teachers.
the OLM for self-monitoring. In this section, we
focus on how the OLM has been used by teachers. Average Median Range
4.1 Participants, Materials and Methods Session of use of the
7.9 5 2 - 29
OLM
The 10 teachers came from a same school in Turkey, Time per session
1 teacher had a class of grade 7, 4 teachers had a 17 12 3 – 104
(in min)
class of grade 9, 4 teachers had a class of grade 10
and 1 teacher had a class of grade 11. At the Number of
3 2 1 - 10
visualisations used
beginning of the course, students and teachers have
been introduced to Hızlıgo and the LEA’s Box
OLM. All usages have been logged. At the end of
Fig. 7. Reasons to use the OLM, perceived ease of use and usefulness of LEA’s OLM.
The teachers claimed several reasons to use the online learning applications, teacher assessment and
OLM (see left art of Fig. 7): 9 teachers used it to student self-assessment.
identify the weaknesses and strengths of individual 10 teachers have been using the LEA’s Box
students and of the group, 8 teachers used it to OLM in order to monitor their class in the context of
identify the weaknesses of the group and 7 teachers a 12 day intensive involving 87 secondary school
used it to identify the strengths of the group. 5 students. The teachers have been using the OLM
teachers also used the OLM to compare individual regularly during the course. They were particularly
students’ levels or the group’s in different interested in using the across time visualisation in
competencies. Most teachers found LEA’s OLM order to see the overall evolution of a student or a
easy to use and useful (see right part of Fig. 7): 6 group, the evolution of the level of a competency
teachers found it easy to use and found the and the evolution of the scores to an activity.
interaction with the system clear and understandable, Teachers were also interested in using the filters
5 teachers found it useful for their teaching and 6 facility, in order to focus on one student or
teachers claimed that using LEA’s OLM make their competency. Most of teachers found the LEA’s Box
teaching easier and enhance their effectiveness. In OLM easy to use and to understand, and helpful for
their comments, teachers also claim an interest of in their teaching, notably to identify the strengths and
monitoring the students’ engagement in the course weaknesses of their class as a group or of individual
and their regularity. students.
These promising results show an Open Learner
5 DISCUSSION AND Model intended for teachers can be a powerful tool
CONCLUSION for teachers in order to help them in their teaching
by providing relevant learning analytics in a suitable
Using the LEA’s Box OLM, it has been possible to way. Teachers seem to be particularly interested in
define a set of 50 competencies related to speed seeing an overview of their students’ levels and their
reading, and to link them to the activities provided evolution across time, but there are also interested in
focusing on one student or one competency.
by Hızlıgo. Thus the learner models are built based
on evidence coming from the scores to Hızlıgo
activities, using different measures. The OLM
provided teachers with learning analytics that were
not available in Hızlıgo, in order to help them in
their teaching. Although it was not the case in this
first study, the LEA’s Box OLM can gather
information from different data sources, like several
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